Bass Metals on track to expand production from Graphmada

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Australian miner Bass Metals on Monday reported that it expected to announce a maiden mineral resource at its Mahefedok deposit, at the Graphmada graphite mine, in Madagascar, during the current quarter.

The company recently completed a 2 300 m drilling programme at the deposit, with significant intercepts of soft, easily mineable saprolite mineralisation, delivering intercepts of 24.4 m at 4.4% fixed carbon, 16 m at 5.1%, 13.2 m at 5.6% and 7.8 m at 6.6%.

The miner noted that it would continue to invest capital to expand production to 6 000 t/y, through to 20 000 t/y of graphite concentrate sales by 2020.

“We will continue to materially grow our resource inventory, aggressively explore our permits and strategically assess potential acquisitions to meet growing demand in traditional and future technology markets,” it said in a company strategy update.

Bass Metals further noted that its Graphmada concentrates were the benchmark for foundries, crucible and refractory applications, owing to its “exceptional” flake size, high resistance against oxidation, not containing carbonates such as calcite and dolomite, and having a low sulphur content.